VIP seat for Lionel Messi- Cristiano Ronaldo clash fetches $2.6M
A Saudi Arabian businessman won the bidding to watch the latest chapter in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s celebrated rivalry in global soccer with a $2.66 million (10 million riyals) bid for a ticket to their showpiece game.
The Saudi government’s entertainment arm said on Twitter that Mushref Al-Ghamdi, general manager of real estate group AqarOne, was the highest bidder for a “Beyond Imagination” ticket.
The winner will attend Thursday’s match in Riyadh featuring a combined team from Saudi clubs Al Nassr — who recently signed Ronaldo —and Al Hilal versus Messi’s Paris St Germain in the duo’s first on-pitch meeting since Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in December 2020.
Winning bidder Al-Ghamdi will attend the winner’s ceremony after the match, enter the dressing rooms, and meet the two players who for years have vied to be the world’s greatest.
![Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo battle for the ball during their quarterfinal, second leg, Copa del Rey soccer match on Jan. 3, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Messi.Ronaldo.jpg?w=1024)
Though revenue from the auction will go to charity, the event could also fuel accusations of “sportswashing” by Saudi Arabia — distracting attention from rights abuses by splashing money on sport.
As well as attracting Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia have signed up Messi as a tourism ambassador. Paris St Germain is owned by the Qatari government, which has just staged the World Cup.